(Credit: Imago)

James Murray

Mon 27 April 2026 19:09, UK

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Manchester City are in talks to appoint Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s replacement at the Etihad Stadium. 

That is according to former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider Guardiola could leave if his side win the Premier League this season. 

There has been plenty of speculation around the Catalan manager’s future in recent months despite his contract running until June 2027.

Guardiola is expected to have a say in who his replacement will be, with Maresca previously working as his assistant at the Etihad.

However, the Italian isn’t the only candidate linked with becoming the next Man City manager as club chiefs prepare for Guardiola’s potential exit. 

Why Pep Guardiola could leave Man City this summer

Maresca is a free agent after leaving Chelsea in January following his public fallout with the board at Stamford Bridge. 

Vincent Kompany is also among the favourites to replace Guardiola, but he’s under contract with Bayern Munich until June 2029. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson discussed Guardiola’s situation at the Etihad.

“It’s starting to look like something is going on in the background,” said Borson.

“It’s a bit strange because people that seem to have decent information do seem to also suggest that it’s not going to happen. Of course, Pep himself says it’s not going to happen and that he’ll see out his contract, but the signs are that something is going on.

“Certainly, conversations are going on with Maresca, either as a fallback plan or something that they know definitively will happen. Clearly, if the club manages to win two or three trophies, including the Premier League, I would not be totally surprised if Pep says, ‘That’s a good point to leave’.

“That said, would I be massively surprised if he did another season? Not really. The consequence of winning the league or what’s sort of happening on the field is the team seems to be coming together in some way and, therefore, perhaps he’ll look at it and go, ‘Actually, I’d like to have a look at what this team does next season’.” 

Why Enzo Maresca could be set to replace Guardiola at Man City

Borson insisted Man City have held talks with Maresca about replacing Guardiola if he decides to bring his 10-year reign to an end.

“There does seem to be something brewing in the background, and it does seem to be Maresca,” said Borson.

“It would be quite odd for there to be nothing in the Maresca story at all. If you look at it that way around, we know from Chelsea that they have spoken. There must have been a reason for them speaking. 

“Maresca’s stock has probably increased in the aftermath of the Rosenior situation because all the Chelsea players seem to speak very highly of him.

“Clearly, the replacement didn’t go well. You could bizarrely argue that it’s actually worked out quite well for Maresca, but we’ll have to see. If City didn’t win the league, I think perversely it’s more likely Pep stays.”